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Thanks for being human. All that's missing is what's on OUR back hall.....one lone knee high nylon, one My Little Pony hairbrush, an expired coupon that was drying out from a coffee spill, an opened package of morning glory seeds, and 7 pennies.
Posted By: Judy Krajecki Kaneville Illinois

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I always look at the homes in magazines and wonder, Where do they put their things, mail, books, etc? I'm glad to see that homes do get lived in.
Posted By: Betty at http://shessewpretty.typepad.com/

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Mary, I laughed so much when I read this article - it was like I was reading about myself! I, too, have all the best intentions of having a place for everything, and everything in its place but somehow I manage to find something more interesting to do than to clean up my clutter. I was particularly tickled about you writing that you don't want people to think that you actually live like that! That's when my home is the cleanest too! My motto is: If you'd like to come see me, come anytime... but if you're coming to see my house, then please make an appointment! Thanks for the laughs and all your inspiration! You're a remarkable woman! Take good care.
Posted By: Audrey Aims - Tewksbury, Massachusetts

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Welcome to my world! We're moving out of our house to have our floors re-finished. It's amazing; we've uncovered all manner of neat stuff and great ideas that we had completely forgotten we ever had!
Posted By: MJ Sollog

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Oh I'm so glad that those magazine photos that I see in every magazine are staged!!! Thanks for sharing your picture of reality! My house is in a constant state of disaster. I always have grand plans of not just cleaning up, but cleaning out and organizing. Invariably, it all just ends up in a box and stored. And I end up with boxes of junk!!! That's when I get the time to clean in the first place!!!
Posted By: Kim, Nashville, TN

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Too funny! I think our husbands have the same practical decorating gene...sigh
Posted By: http://theholidayqueen.blogspot.com/

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I've just come to the conclusion that there are some people who actually deal with the mail the very minute it arrives (along with magazines, catalogs and misc. bits) and then there are the rest of us. I can't even imagine my life spotless.
Posted By: Carol W. Spradlin, Seattle, WA

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Well, now I know you are a real person. Thanks for sharing your real side with the internet world. Shannon P.S. My hall table contains school books (from last school year that I still need to return), stuffie cardinal birds (don't ask), diapers (for a baby gift) and a mailing tube (hmm, hadn't noticed that...)
Posted By: shannon - www.myheart4him.wordpress.com

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Being a designer my clients always say your house must be perfect all the time? Thankfully they do not come over with out appointments which is when my two kids and husband also chip in to help clean up the lived in look. Thanks for keeping it real!
Posted By: Kelly Miller of Bay Village , Ohio

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Gosh, it's refreshing to hear you're just like us Mary!
Posted By: deb http://sayitwithletters.blogspot.com

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While I like the look of neat and tidy, I think that people who have meticulous homes really don't have much going on in their life. I like a house where you can walk in and see right through to the person's soul just by the possessions or stuff in their house. I always think my house isn't clean enough, but my friends who enter always say that they like my house....it's comfy. Yet when someone is coming over it's always the mad scramble to put away the dog's toys and my endless knitting projects, oh and close the roll-top desk real quick.
Posted By: Julie N.

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Mary, Do you suppose you could send Phil over to our house?? We can't even find the basket! -Lisa
Posted By: http://pinkpaintandroses.typepad.com/

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When I see the homes displayed in magazines, I always wonder...where do they live? I am so glad to find out that you are a real, live, person that has to ocassionally find your desk!
Posted By: Lenora

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I'm like that too...never putting things up. I have piles of stuff everywhere. I'm a paper person so there are piles of magazines (yours of course), scrapbooking stuff, stuff to shred, etc. Your photos were very nice. I love your decorating job. :)
Posted By: Lynn

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Three cheers for Mary for living in her house. My sewing desk always ends up with stuff to put away later because it is out of view of the main rooms. You guessed it, when I want to sew things have to be putaway.
Posted By: Dorothy

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Thank you for validating the lived in look for the busy life. The 'lived in' look has alot going for it! Thanks for the reality picture...it helps us all!
Posted By: Judy Nuetzmann, Grayslake, IL

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Thanks, Mary, for living in the real world too. Even those of us retired who get a daily dose of a 1 yr. old granddaughter STILL have areas like my Message Center heaped full of mail, coupons, grocery lists, warranties, etc. etc. Your magazine photos were well done, but the article was too short.
Posted By: Carrie

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Our 1970's ranch style has no front hall, so you can imagine where all of our clutter goes! We remodled about 4 years ago and are still finding boxes of nails that disappeared during the working time.
Posted By: Nanclyn 43

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I'm moving into another house, with an extremely different style and wish that you could come and help me decorate. It's a country house w/porch across the front and the lady has it decorated cute not tacky country, but I left country years ago. Now what am I going to do??
Posted By: Teela

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Thank you for validating the lived in look for the busy life. The 'lived in' look has alot going for it! Thanks for the reality picture...it helps us all!
Posted By: Judy Nuetzmann, Grayslake, IL

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Thank you Mary! Everyone always looks at me like I'm a slob! I'm just too tired, and too busy to keep our home so tidy. My ranch home also doesn't have a front hall, nor an eat in kitchen... so, everything ends up at the end of the dining room table and/or on the kitchen counter in my postage stamp sized kitchen... I actually had two trays to hold everything, but they got lost in the clutter.
Posted By: Joanie, Point Pleasant, NJ

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Thanks Mary! I've always sworn by the lived in policy, even though I always had better intentions. When my 4 children were growing up my home was clean, but lived in. Now I have 10 grandchildren and we are lived in again. I love it! Myra Gutzwiler, Malaga, Wa.

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I thought I was the only one who couldn't do it ALL. I really want the perfect look like Mary's photo houses, but that eludes me. Now I know why-It Isn't Real. What is real is rushing out to teach piano lessons, cleaning up after grandkids, and trying for some me time. I am so encouraged.
Posted By: Joyce Bozeman Poisall, Stem NC

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We LIVE in a ranch style house and always enter through the garage doorway into a short hallway into the kitchen area. Everything ends up on the huge bar that wraps around the kitchen. My husband piles mail up and over about 3 feet from the wall, and the man has an office in another room! No matter what I give him to put it all in, it still ends up cluttering up the bar. Our kitchen, dining and living are all one large area, so it shows no matter which area you are in. And that blended with the next door grandchildren's toys, it is a very lived in decor! Living the GOOD life!
Posted By: Maria S.

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I have been a subscriber and fan for over a decade and this blog just proves why I like your style so much. It is refreshing to have such honest living revealed! When my mother, who has Alzeheimer's moved into our home last year, the mail, magazines, general paperwork doubled! It is the one constant battle of my life to tame the kitchen bar/counter!
Posted By: Donna Walker, Georgetown, TX

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Well I don't have a front hall way, but I do have utility room at the back door......poor room gets full of coats, shoes and anything else that can be thrown down fast.
Posted By: Debra http://www.debralanedesigns.blogspot.com

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Your house sounds just like mine except that we have two large black Labrador Retrievers leaving a trail of black hair all over the house. We are all so glad to hear that you aren't perfect. The pictures in the magazine always look like dream houses to me and I always wonder 'do they really stay that way all the time?' (But, they do give me lots of great ideas which is the point....duh)
Posted By: Joan in California

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Your house sounds just like mine except that we have two large black Labrador Retrievers leaving a trail of black hair all over the house. We are all so glad to hear that you aren't perfect. The pictures in the magazine always look like dream houses to me and I always wonder 'do they really stay that way all the time?' (But, they do give me lots of great ideas which is the point....duh)
Posted By: Joan in California

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I try to keep the foyer clutter free, except for the shoes, backpacks, umm keys in the dish along with the sunglasses..hmmm, does this sound familiar? Susan
Posted By: http://sueskitchen.typepad.com/

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Mary, I am so glad you 'fessed up about your mess! We have the exact issue...drives my husband crazy, but his office is always a bad mess. I am very creative and hate to spend time putting things away. The papers and mail pile up pretty high. Sometimes, when company is expected, I just shove everything into paper bags, however, I sometimes forget about them and find them much later! I have projects in little piles all over the house...photographs, scrapbooks, artwork, etc. At least there are others out there who do the same. Love your blog and your magazine!
Posted By: Patricia Viamontes, Creve Coeur, MO

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You seem just like us....how refreshing...we all want so to have a neat clean home...but how to get there seems an unending battle. I am 57, the kids are grown and I am still not there...could it be the mountains of craft goodies that hold me back from my dream? Guess I'll settle for a little disorder and keep my crafts........my babies ...I just can't part with them. Thanks for your art too......I love it! Blessings,Donna Custer
Posted By: Donna Custer

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Oh my word! How fun to know that there are sooo many other real people out there! We have been closing in a back porch (that was to take 3-6 weeks at the end of April :-}), moving a college child home and now back, getting new flooring and preparing and having a yard sale in Katy, Tx (in August) and my home is crazy. I walked in the other afternoon and the wife of the man building our back room had brought a friend of her's into our crazy home...what was she thinking! Kim Lee

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Way to go - you live like most of us! I just love your magazine,it gets better with every issue- been getting it for years and now my daughter is hooked also. I was born and raised in StL and feel like I know you!!
Posted By: Carol Lynch - Camdenton, Mo.

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I like to call the phenomenon you described Domestic Archaeology. It's good to take that moment as you're cleaning for parties or holidays to 'unearth' the layers of life that took place in between. On our entry table it's school play programs, VBS crafts, tickets to movies or sights, postcards from friends, and all the other 'this and that' that I treasure, but don't have a place for. That moment of memories is a bright spot in the midst of a storm of cleaning!
Posted By: Jen @ visionsandverses.com

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I am so glad to see that you live that way also! It's amazing how quickly things pile up. Hope you have a great day.
Posted By: My Shabby Rsoes - Debbie

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I'm glad I'm not the only pile it around!!! Since my mom moved into a care facility, I've had to clean out her apt. and there's alot of things here that's hers...some in living room. I've managed to buy some clear storage containers ($5 at Walmart) and put majority of things in there. Still need to go thru old mail, from last century. And then there's the pile of mail on table that never gets gone completely. I just keep hacking away at it. I guess it's life and it adds up. Who said we are a paperless society? HA!! Have a good weekend!!
Posted By: Becky Lowmaster, in Oregon

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My husband and I live in the dinky basement suite of our home because my parents, who live with us, can't manage the stairs. I'd love to have everything in its place, but there just isn't a place for everything, and there's a limit to how much you can downsize befor you're actually camping.
Posted By: luthorienne

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